Green politician Künast no longer wants to run for the Bundestag
The former Minister of Agriculture and leader of the Greens party Renate Künast will not run for office in the next federal election. "It's time to make room for younger people," wrote the Berlin representative, according to the "Tagesspiegel," in a letter to her Tempelhof-Schöneberg district association. However, the 68-year-old lawyer does not intend to completely leave politics, she wrote: "I remain a politician," and she wants to see "what tasks still come up."
Künast was the chairwoman of Bündnis90/Die Grünen from 2000 to 2001. Since the 1980s, she has held mandates in the Berlin House of Representatives. Since 2002, she has been a member of the Bundestag. From 2001 to 2005, she was the Federal Minister for Consumer Protection, Food, and Agriculture in the red-green coalition government. From 2005 to 2013, she held the position of Fraktionsvorsitzendin of the Greens in the Bundestag.
Agriculture is a topic that she has not been able to let go of since her tenure as a minister, wrote Künast in the "Tagesspiegel," and reminded of the BSE scandal and the agricultural reform. In the remaining months as a representative, she wants to advocate for projects in this field, wrote Künast, who has been the spokesperson for her fraction for Food and Agriculture since 2021. "We must realign payments to agriculture, set incentives for climate protection, soil and water protection, and the protection of biodiversity."
Furthermore, she intends to support Cem Özdemir, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, in implementing the Children's Marketing Act for excessively sugary food from agriculture, wrote Künast in the "Tagesspiegel" further. "This task is not trivial. Nutrition-related diseases are now among the leading causes of death."
- Renate Künast, in her letter to the Tempelhof-Schöneberg district association, expressed her belief that it's now time for younger Green politicians to step into office at the Bundestag, following her decision not to run in the next federal election.
- Despite not seeking re-election, Künast, the former Green politician who led Bündnis90/Die Grünen and served as the Federal Minister for Consumer Protection, Food, and Agriculture, emphasized her continued involvement in politics, stating, "I remain a politician."
- As a prominent Green politician in the Bundestag and the spokesperson for her fraction for Food and Agriculture since 2021, Künast plans to support her successor, Cem Özdemir, in implementing the Children's Marketing Act, aiming to combat nutrition-related diseases by limiting excessively sugary food from agriculture.
